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gofree

Founder of clothesFREE

From: Hong Kong

Registered: 2006-07-18

Posts: 1,179

Naked Hiking

For many naturists, naturism is about embracing the natural world.  For them it is not just about getting an all over tan.  For people who love the 'nature' in naturism there are few things better than going out for a walk in the countryside naked.  It is exhilarating, liberating, uplifting and if you are in England or Wales (sadly not Scotland) it is also completely legal.

In theory you can walk naked anywhere in the UK, however if you want to avoid confrontations it is better to stick to more remote areas.  Nudity in the UK is only illegal if there is the intent to cause distress, although the general public may not know this.  By going to a remote area you are minimising the amount of people who see you and thus clearly making an attempt to avoid causing undue distress.  After all, most people don't want to end up like Stephen Gough.  Last year Nigel Keer was arrested in Yorkshire by an off duty policeman for hiking naked and was fined, however the charges against him were overturned.  Because it was in open countryside in broad daylight the judge decided there was clearly no intent to cause alarm and that the policeman had overreacted.

The advantage of more remote areas is that the people who visit them tend to be more adventurous.  They are far less likely to be shocked by the sight of a few naked people.  In a recent trip in the Brecon Beacons we encountered several groups of walkers an in general their attitude towards us was quite positive.  However, in accessible rural areas near where people live you are likely to met local dog walkers etc, who can be less tolerant.  If local people routinely go to that area they are more likely to be upset by encountering any group using it in a way that they object to, whether it be for biking, partying or nude hiking.  Despite it being legal to be naked in England and Wales some naturist hiking groups encourage you to cover up when encountering other walkers.

For some reason nudity is more socially acceptable in larger groups.  If you are on your own people who see you are far more likely to question your motives.  If you are with a group of other nudists people will accept that you are just innocently enjoying the great outdoors.  Even if you are naked with clothed friends people might think you are bare for a dare but are unlikely to feel threatened by you.  The other reason to go in a group is for safety.  It is not a good idea for anyone, clothed or not, to go hiking alone in remote areas.  You will probably be fine, but if anything happens and you are in the middle of nowhere you will need someone to stay with you and at least one other person (preferably more for the same safety reasons) to go for help.

2013.07.15 Naked Historia